There are records that people have achieved that are unforgettable. Such as for me, before I did my mandatory military service, I had spent the 3 days working straight on an architectural drawing. Also was my high school exam number being 464, having the two 4s would make me failing the exam but I passed. (4 in Korea also means death) The freshmen year of my high school, I was too happy and hyped that I was accepted, I had the 2nd worst grade overall in the school that year. But either way, nothing was there as a record for me to give anyway.
The last May, I was extremely busy as a pastor working, and left them as a record.
I was receiving invitations to preach at different churches every week. I had given a funeral proceeding to an unbeliever who had passed away. Also from the 25th of May to the 28th of May, I had to travel to Orange County in southern California for a Korean District C&MA meeting.
Finally, I had moved my office to a different place on the same floor. Several people I knew offered to help, but not wanting to take other people’s time, I had spent about 2 weeks to move all my items every weekend. The office I am currently using was the office of the president of a company of deacon Won Chul Kim, who had offered to let me use it for free. About 3 years ago, I had moved from Sunnyvale to nearby the San Jose International Airport vicinity. I had given away many of the books I had to shrink the amount of my belongings. But after selling my hymnal poem book, and with the remaining funds, I had quite a few books still to move. Not only was that, the filing cabinets and the metal cabinets that I had to move alone, before it looked so light, but moving it alone was of difficulty. Anyway, there were several new records I have achieved during this time of May.
During the Korean District of the C&MA meetings, I had to take my wife with me. But she couldn’t get on an airplane (claustrophobia and having problem with dizziness) and if the distance was coverable with driving, I would drive with my wife to the meetings.
Since this particular meeting was about 7 hour distance from Silicon Valley, I had picked up another pastor who was attending the meeting and had carpooled there. The district superintendent of the Korean District of the C&MA wanted me to preach during that meeting’s opening ceremony. Initially I was going to decline, but seeing that I could never really attend the many meetings as I had wished in the past, I deiced to take and obey the offer. After taking the offer, I was slightly uncomfortable having to preach in front of many other pastors and their wives.
The passage of the sermon was chosen from the superintendent, titled “With Us!” The passage of that time was Deuteronomy Chapter 1, verses 19~21. I had spent many hours writing and rewriting the sermon. But every pastor would always feel their sermon is incomplete. I was praying that I would do my best, when the funeral of an unbeliever had also come up in the same time!
The uncomfortable feeling of having to miss something in the preparations, and to have a service before the burial, and the feelings of the surviving family members, it was heavy hearting. Another request yet again was, of a request to have preaching done to a church without a pastor in the end of May. I couldn’t just say no, so with difficulty I had accepted. So in summary, I had to finish the C&MA meeting, drive back up, and without resting, would have to straight away work and to study and meditate on the new sermon.
In my short life time, the new records I have set in May have not only taken just my time either.
After a lengthy 7 hour drive, and having rested, I had preached for the opening service. On the final night, I could not sleep and had only slept for about 3 hours. Since the pastor I took along with the trip didn’t know the roads of Southern California, (despite having been here for 5 years,) I had to drive up north again. Despite having driven to northern California and southern California many, many times, as I age, I felt the tiredness of the journey kick in faster. When I was preaching, I noticed I was having a slight fatigue and weakness.
The next day, I had to attend an associations meeting for C&MA, and after that day, while many of the other pastors had attended the general assembly meeting for the C&MA in nearby Long Beach. I didn’t attend that one, but had started to work on a lecture series. The series of lectures I did was titled “Leaders in Victory”. It was a series of lecture made by a well known leadership lecturer, John Maxwell. It was a 6 part series. I had done this to encourage new church planters, and help with raising new leaders on my way down to C&MA meeting. All the required books, manuals and encouragement fee were supported by Church Health Academy that I facilitate. This is by far the longest of lecture I have ever done in my time as a pastor. Not only, had I never done a lecture that was 7 hours long. From 1:30PM in the afternoon to 5:00PM in the evening, after dinner from 6:00PM to 9:30PM the rest of the lecture was on. It was roughly about 7 hours of lecture. After that I had returned safely to northern California. Despite having a problem in my throat so I couldn’t quite speak well…
I wanted to rest after that, but I had to finalize and refine the sermon for the 31st of May. The problem was, despite having completed the sermon to preach, my throat was in no condition. I had done everything that was on the book, saline water, vinegar, and with water to get my throat lubricated. I even tried a technique of taking baking soda in warm water (suggested by an elder in my neighbor), and even quince tea since it was suppose to help. Having experimented for one or two days to get my throat better was a record on its own. Despite the difficulties, I was able to preach in strength in the end. This alone is a record. I thank God that his gentle care and help had gotten me safely though the month of May.
(June 18th, 2015)
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The pair of Geese that left… 
Records